


Shattered

by geekruminations



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/M, Like a Whole Cup of It, major angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-26
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-08-27 01:17:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8382316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geekruminations/pseuds/geekruminations
Summary: A political coup sets the stage for a life-changing event that has ramifications across generations.





	1. Prologue

_"It can take years to mold a dream. It takes only a fraction of a second for it to be shattered."_

_-Mary E. Pearson_

 

**2016**

 

Tony was bored.

Pepper still wasn't speaking to him and Rhodey was at physical therapy for who knows how long. He promised to stop by later though.

For once, he wasn't interested in working on a new project. Hence why he was digging through old boxes instead.

They were left over from his father. He had already gone through most of them years before but his father was a pack rat and there always seemed to be another box.

This one featured old notes and journals, some even from before SHIELD. There was a newspaper clipping that showed his father smirking with the headline 'Stark Not A Traitor.'

He had no idea what that was about.

Nestled amongst the papers was a photo.

Tony pulled it out and stared at it. On the back, it was dated 1953 and it featured his father with a huge grin on his face.

Beside him was a woman and another man who appeared to have a crutch of some sort.  They were both smiling widely.

The man he didn't recognize but the woman he did.

It was Peggy Carter.

Tony didn't know too much about Peggy Carter other than that she was the director of SHIELD for quite a long time.

He knew of Cap's connection to her of course. She was the one he left behind when he became a capsicle. She worked on Project Rebirth with his father and then later, they were at SHIELD together.

And yet he had never heard his dad mention her. Not once.

Hell, he had never seen his dad smile like this.

As he looked at the picture again, a memory came to mind.

Jarvis.

Jarvis mentioned Peggy Carter several times that he could recall.  He always called her 'Ms. Carter' and seemed to have a sorrowful look on his face when he mentioned her.

It seemed odd because here in this photo it was quite obvious Peggy Carter and his father were good friends.

So something must have happened for his father never to speak about her.

As he tucked the photo back into the box, he couldn't help but wonder.

  
'What the hell went wrong?'


	2. Chapter 2

September 1973

A harsh buzzing noise caused the occupants of the bed to stir and a hand reached out and slammed down on the offending alarm clock.

Daniel smiled at Peggy's actions. There was a time when she was the first one up and couldn't wait to get to work but after this many years, they both enjoyed a bit of a lie in.

He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her neck and she hummed in return.

"Time to get up," he whispered, pulling her close and wrapping his arm around her waist.

Peggy shook her head and burrowed into the pillow.

"Really Peg, my boss will be after me if I'm late."

She smiled then, turning in his arms.

"Your boss would much prefer you stay right here." She punctuated her statement with a kiss which soon turned intense.

Daniel pulled away, sucking in a breath. Even after all these years, his beautiful wife could leave him breathless. Sometimes speechless too.

"Don't you have a meeting with..."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Peggy groaned, tucking her head into his neck. "He's a..."

"Very important man that you need to talk to," Daniel stated.

"I was going to say he's a complete and utter wanker."

Daniel laughed.

"Poor Peg, today isn't going to be your day is it?"

Peggy smiled and looped her arms around his neck.

"Don't you know darling that every day is a good day when I am with you."

"Well that was..."

"Don't say it."

"Very....sentimental of you."

"I can be sentimental," Peggy protested.

"I know you can. I'm just teasing." Daniel replied. "But we really do have to get to work. I've got a meeting with Stark about the new weapons he's developed."

"Well, that will be interesting."

"No doubt he's come up with something crazy."

Peggy and Daniel slowly got up and got dressed, making their way to the kitchen.

"It's quiet," Daniel mused.

Peggy smiled.

"You miss her."

"Don't you?" He inquired.

"Of course. But Angela is having the time of her life at Wellesley. She's only been gone a week. And she's not that far away."

"Four hours," Daniel complained.

"She could have gone to Berkeley," Peggy pointed out.

"True. That would have been worse."

They moved around the kitchen in a fluid motion, preparing breakfast and chatting about their children. Michael was a political journalist in Washington and called them regularly to give them updates on what was going on.

Neither of them were a fan of Nixon, especially with this scandal surrounding him regarding the Democratic headquarters.

They ate and made their way out of the house, both wishing they could spend the day together.

When they arrived at SHIELD, they went their separate ways, parting with a quick kiss. Peggy went upstairs to her office while Daniel made his way towards the lab where he knew Howard would be waiting.

________________________

"No."

"Look..."

"No."

"Sousa..."

"Stark, you have got to be kidding me," Daniel said, exasperated.

"This is what I do. I create weapons. You needed more weapons, here's what I've got," Stark replied, mulishly.

"Yes, we do need more weapons. But not these."

"Why not?"

"The transducer electric gun?"

"What about it?"

"It fires electrical shocks at people!"

"A great way to take down your enemy," Stark said.

"I would agree," Daniel replied. "If you hadn't told me that the person goes into a seizure-like state for several minutes. That's not containment, that's torture."

"What about the tracer shells?"

Daniel sighed. "Those we could use. How exactly do they work?"

"They have a built in targeting system. Aim, fire, and if the guy makes a run for it, they will zero in on the guy and hit their target."

"Any chance it could hit nearby civilians instead?" Daniel asked.

"Well...I mean, it's possible." Stark said, sighing. He knew where this was going.

"Seriously, Stark? You've got to be kidding me!"

"Look, maybe I should speak to Peggy..."

"I'm the Chief of this unit. I'm in charge of the Science division as well as new weaponry and technology. I'm the one you need to be talking to."

"Look, Sousa. This is what I created. And it's good. You know it is. I'm the goddamn best at what I do so just accept the damn weapons."

"Not if it has the potential to injure civilians," Daniel replied resolutely.

"You know as well as I do that there are always unexpected casualties. That's just how this works," Stark stated.

"I know that. But the more we can do to prevent that from happening, the better."

"Fine," Stark said, pushing away from the table and standing up.

"Wait," Daniel said, holding up his hand. "One more thing."

Stark sighed and sat back down.

"What about the flesh healing serum?" Daniel asked. "I thought you were pretty close on that."

"I was but I stopped working on it. Got boring."

"We really could use that. The ability to close an open wound with that synthetic liquid tissue you described? That would help us a lot in the field."

Stark nodded. "I will see what I can do."

"Thanks," Daniel replied. "Hey, I think we are heading over to visit Jarvis and Ana tonight. You going to be around?"

Stark shook his head. "I've got this gala thing with Maria. They are watching Tony."

"Too bad," Daniel said sincerely. "We haven't all spent time together in a while."

"You know how it is. The life of a billionaire inventor. Everyone wants a piece of me," Stark said, smirking.

Daniel rolled his eyes as Stark made his way out the door.

He groaned.

He was not looking forward to discussing this with Peggy.

____________________________________

"Well, I admit they aren't the best but..."

"Aren't the best? Peg, they could hurt someone."

Peggy sat back in her chair and sighed.

"We need to trust Howard..."

"Do we?" Daniel asked. "To the point where we use weapons that could be harmful to civilians?"

"Howard said there was only a chance..."

"A chance I'm not willing to take!" Daniel exclaimed. "You know I'm right, Peg. We use weapons like these and it makes us no better than the bad guys. SHIELD is better than that."

Peggy nodded. "You are right. Let's scrap those weapons and see if we can get Howard to work on something else. We can't lose him. He's too valuable to us."

"Well, you might have to talk to him. You know, smooth things over."

Peggy smiled and stood up, making her way around the desk to where Daniel sat.

"You two always butt heads," she said, sitting in Daniel's lap, on his good leg.

Daniel wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Why Director Carter, what if someone were to come in and see?"

Peggy smiled and pressed herself closer.

"Then they would see me with my handsome husband who I just can't help but kiss."

Daniel pulled her close, pressing his lips against hers.

"Mmmm..." Peggy murmured when they parted.

"You know," said Daniel, "We could always skip the Jarvis's tonight. Stay home, cuddle on the couch..."

"You know we can't do that. We promised Jarvis and Ana," Peggy replied.

"I talked to Stark. He said he and Maria weren't going to be there. Some gala thing."

"Well that clinches it," Peggy said determinedly. "Tony is going to be there and he hasn't seen his Aunt Peggy in a week. He probably misses me."

"What about his Uncle Daniel? I'm sure he misses me too."

"No doubt. Besides, I'm sure Jarvis and Ana could use a break. That boy gets into more trouble at the age of three then our two ever did."

"Good point."

"Well," Peggy said, lifting herself off Daniel's lap. "I suppose it's time to get back to work."

Daniel nodded and stood up.

"Six good?"

"Pick me up at my office," Peggy said, smiling. "And don't be late."

Daniel tipped an imaginary hat and made his way to the door.

"Oh and Daniel?"

He turned and looked at her.

"Nothing...just...I love you."

Daniel smiled.

"Love you too Peg."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HISTORICAL NOTES
> 
> Wellesley College is one of the Seven Sisters Colleges and is a private women's, liberal arts college located in the town of Wellesley, Massachusetts. Notable alumni include Madeline Albright, Diane Sawyer and Hillary Clinton.
> 
> The Watergate scandal was when several illegal activities by the Nixon administration became public. In 1972, five men were caught breaking into Democratic party headquarters. The Washington Post picked up on the story and Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward relied on an informant, Deep Throat, to reveal details of what happened.
> 
> This current story takes place around the first week of September in 1973. Nixon made his famous "I am not a crook" speech in Nov of 1973 and ended up resigning in Aug of 1974.
> 
> OTHER NOTES
> 
> The tracer shells and the flesh healing serum are actually inventions from the comic books. They were invented by Tony but I figured they could have been invented by Howard.


	3. Chapter 3

They arrived at the Jarvis's and rang the doorbell, hearing the pitter patter of little feet from within. 

The Jarvis's lived about half an hour from Camp Lehigh in a nice country estate that Howard had set up for them. Jarvis was technically still in Howard's employ but he didn't do much for him other than help him with a few business dealings and take care of Tony of course.

The door swung open and Ana was there, Tony beside her.

"Peggy! Daniel!" She exclaimed. "Come in! It's been too long."

Tony for his part immediately rushed toward Peggy, wrapping his chubby little arms around her legs. 

"Auntie!" He shouted, squeezing tight.

"My darling!" Peggy replied, picking him up and giving him a hug. Tony waved at Daniel and they headed inside. 

"Miss Carter," Jarvis said warmly as he made his way towards them. "And Chief Sousa."

"How are you Jarvis?" Daniel asked. 

"Good. Keeping busy. Tony is quite the handful."

"Oh hush," Ana said. "Tony is an angel."

Jarvis raised his eyebrow at that comment.

"Well, not quite an angel," Ana admitted. "Now come, sit down."

They headed into the living room, Tony squirming to get down. Peggy released him and he immediately ran towards his toys. 

Once the drinks had been poured and the appetizers served, everyone settled in for a good visit. 

"How are things at SHIELD?" Ana asked.

"The same as usual," replied Peggy. "Daniel and I aren't too involved in actual fieldwork anymore. We get called as consultants from time to time on unusual cases."

"And I heard you finally caught Ms. Underwood," Jarvis mentioned.

Daniel nodded.

"Finally. It only took 27 years," he said.

"We got her, that's what matters," Peggy stated. "She's in a holding cell as we speak."

At this moment, Tony came running over to Daniel with blocks in his hands.

"Play, Uncle Danny?" He queried.

Daniel smiled. "Of course, Tony." 

He used his crutch to lift himself off the couch and made his way over to the toy area. It took a few minutes, but he got himself settled on the floor next to Tony and then soon began building an epic tower.

"Tony loves those blocks," Ana said. "He loves to build things. No doubt he's going to be an inventor like his father."

"Speaking of Howard, he mentioned to Daniel that he's out with Maria this evening?"

"Yes, they are attending a fundraising gala at the Met," Jarvis replied. 

"Howard seems to be out quite a bit lately," Peggy commented.

"Yes," Ana admitted. "But we don't mind looking after Tony. He is a good child. Now tell us Peggy, what are you and Daniel doing for your upcoming anniversary. It's a big one."

"We have nothing planned so far," Peggy said.

"Or maybe we do," Daniel piped up from where he was sitting.

Peggy turned to look at her husband, surprise showing on her face.

"What on earth are you talking about, Daniel?"

He shrugged. "You will see."

"Oh, a surprise!" Ana exclaimed. "How lovely."

"A surprise? You know I don't love surprises," Peggy said.

"I know," Daniel replied. "Remember when I threw you that surprise party and you nearly shot all the guests?"

"I was startled!" Peggy protested, a smile on her face.

"Yes, well, I'm taking a chance," Daniel stated. "Besides, it's our 25th anniversary, Peg. We have to do something."

"Are Michael and Angela involved in this?"

"Perhaps," Daniel said slyly.

"Well then, I will just get it out of them," Peggy said resolutely. 

"They've been sworn to secrecy."

"I'm an excellent interrogator."

"Now you two, no arguing," Ana piped up.

"Uncle Danny! Tower!" Tony said, insistently. 

Daniel turned his attention back to Tony and they began building a massive tower once more.

Dinner was delightful with the four friends laughing and chatting about a variety of subjects. Tony was on his best behaviour for his Aunt Peggy and Uncle Daniel and was rewarded by them putting him to bed.

Peggy and Daniel tucked him into bed in his room that Jarvis and Ana had set up at their place. They read stories and soon the little boy's eyes were drooping.

"Auntie Peggy?"

"Yes, darling," Peggy replied.

"Love you," Tony said.

Peggy smiled warmly and reached down and gave Tony a hug. 

"Love you too."

"Uncle Danny?"

Daniel smiled, knowing what was coming next.

"Yes?"

"Love you too."

Daniel gave the sleepy boy a hug and whispered that he loved him in his ear. 

Soon Tony was asleep and they left the room quietly.

"Do you miss this?" Peggy asked, as they shut the door behind them.

"Yes," Daniel replied. "I love that the kids are older but I do miss this age as well. Thank goodness we have Tony. I can't wait to see him grow up."

"Me too, darling," Peggy said. "I suspect he will be a mix between a good boy and a little rascal."

"No doubt a chip off the old block," Daniel quipped.

"Well, he will always have his Auntie Peggy and Uncle Daniel to help look after him. And who knows? Maybe he will grow up to be a part of SHIELD."

"Maybe," Daniel mused. "Maybe he'll invent something better than weapons."

Peggy scoffed. 

"I know you and Howard don't see eye to eye, but you have to admit, the man has done a lot for us over the years."

"Yes, he has," Daniel admitted. "But one day he's going to create something that will have catastrophic consequences. I just know it."

"Alright, enough of this," Peggy said. "Ana and Jarvis are probably wondering where we are."

"Wait," Daniel said, tugging on her waist and pulling her closer. "One more thing,"

Peggy arched her eyebrow. "Wha..."

She was cut off as Daniel pressed his lips to hers, and her hands wrapped around his neck, as she sunk deeper into the kiss.

They finally pulled away and Daniel smiled.

"What?" Peggy asked.

"Just...I love you Peg," Daniel replied. 

"I love you too, silly man," Peggy said affectionately. 

"What say we head home?" 

"Well, Daniel Sousa, I'm shocked," Peggy said, laughing.

Daniel quickly kissed her again and they headed down the stairs.

"Shocked?" He asked. "I know you were thinking the same thing."

They both laughed and made their way into the living room to say their goodbyes to Ana and Jarvis.

For Peggy and Daniel Sousa, life was pretty good.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day had Peggy looking over a variety of intel reports from around the world.

The most interesting one was from an ex-agent of hers, Fernando Ruiz, who was now living in Chile.

There had been rumblings for quite a while now of a imminent coup although all the parties were not yet identified. President Allende was still very popular with the people but not so much with the upper classes and the military. He was definitely a socialist and that didn't serve well for some people.

What was puzzling about Fernando's report wasn't just about the impending coup, that they already knew. But instead, what was happening to Allende's most vocal supporters. They were disappearing.

At first, Peggy assumed they were being kidnapped.

But Fernando went on to explain that they were actually disappearing right before people's eyes. He had credible witnesses including his friend Diego whom Peggy had met before on a mission years previous. She knew Diego could be trusted so that left a mystery.

Why and more importantly how, were these people just disappearing?

What was most concerning was Fernando's statement that there were allies in the US. That brought the threat here and that was something that was very problematic indeed.

A knock at the door drew her attention away from the report. 

Daniel was standing there with Agent Hermann and Agent Bowen.

"Director Carter?" He said, a wry smile on his face. It always amused him to call his own wife director.

"Yes?"

"Hermann and Bowen have something you should hear."

"Well, let's head to the conference room then," Peggy replied.

They headed out the door and once they were settled in the conference room, Peggy gestured for them to go ahead.

"Well," started Agent Hermann. "It's very strange. We got a report of suspicious activity in a warehouse down on Waterston."

"Why did it come to us?" Peggy asked.

"Because apparently two officers went and checked it out and according to the officer that survived, the other officer was shot by a weapon that...well... disintegrated him."

Peggy raised her eyebrow.

"I know, Director Carter. It seems absurd," Agent Bowen piped up. 

Peggy gave a wry smile to Daniel, her mind thinking back to cases like zero matter. 

"Not that absurd," she commented. 

"We went and checked out the scene," Hermann said. "And the thing is, we found something."

"More like someone," Bowen said. "Or parts of someone. See the gun didn't fully disintegrate the officer."

"You found body parts?" Peggy asked.

Bowen shook his head.

"More like pieces of skin," he noted. "One of them had part of a tattoo on it. We confirmed with the first officer that it was his partner's tattoo."

"We collected the..remnants and brought it back to the lab," Hermann noted. "Doctor Samberly said he would take a look."

"Good job, both of you," Peggy stated. "I want full reports on my desk by the end of the day."

Hermann and Bowen nodded and got up, knowing they were dismissed.

Once they left the room, Peggy turned to Daniel.

"This strangely coincides with a report I read this morning."

"How so?"

"Apparently there are rumblings of a coup in Chile."

"We knew that."

"Yes, but Daniel, apparently President Allende's most prominent supporters are disappearing. Eyewitnesses say it happened right before their eyes."

"You think this gun is being used to wipe out Allende's supporters right before they stage the coup?"

Peggy nodded. 

"Well, that makes sense. But then what are they doing here in the U.S."

"Ruiz noted that there are definitely some U.S. supporters."

"Maybe they are here to show those supporters how the weapon really works," Daniel noted. 

"We should talk to Howard," Peggy said. "He knows more about weapons then anyone else. Perhaps he will have some idea about who created this."

"I agree," Daniel replied. 

They stood up and headed out of the conference room and made their way to the lab.

There, Samberly was analyzing the tissue remains. He looked up when he saw them.

"I don't have anything yet," he said bluntly. "I just started."

"We know," Peggy replied. "Is Howard here?"

Samberly nodded, gesturing towards lab number three.

They headed in that direction and opened the door, watching as Howard tinkered with some object. 

"Howard?" Peggy enquired.

Howard looked up from his work, a smile on his face.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked. "Rarely do I speak to both Sousas at once."

"We have a question about a weapon," Daniel said.

"Look, Sousa, if it's about the..."

"It's something different," Peggy chimed in. "Not one of yours."

Howard looked intrigued. 

"Go on."

"There's a gun of some sort out there that's...well, for lack of a better word, disintegrating people," Peggy stated. "Do you know of anyone who could have created such a thing."

It could have been a trick of the light but Daniel swore he saw Stark pale a little.

"No, not that I know of," Howard replied.

Daniel shook his head angrily.

"You are lying," he said emphatically.

Peggy put her hands on her hips.

"Yes, I would have to agree," she said angrily. "Did you create this, Howard?"

Howard sighed and his shoulders slumped.

"Yes, I did."

"For who?" Peggy demanded.

"The United States government," Howard said. "Remember, Stark Industries offers weapons to several contractors, not just SHIELD."

"And you thought this weapon was a good idea?" Daniel asked incredulously.

"It's very effective," Howard replied defiantly.

"Yes, tell that to the police officer's widow, why don't you?" Daniel shouted. "She doesn't even get to bury him. For the love of god Stark..."

"Let's all calm down," Peggy interjected. "If the U.S. Government has this weapon then it's possible the U.S. is involved in the coup in Chile."

"Not necessarily," Howard stated. "I got word last week that the weapon went missing."

"And there's only one of them?" Daniel asked.

Howard nodded. "It was a prototype."

"Well, we've got Samberly investigating the remains so perhaps..."

"The remains?" Howard asked. "There shouldn't be any."

"Well there was," Peggy replied. "Bits of skin were...left behind."

"Then the Disintegrator Ray wasn't calibrated properly. When it is, nothing is left behind."

Daniel huffed and turned, heading out the door without a single word.

"Look Peggy..."

"I get this is what you do Howard," Peggy said. "But there are consequences to the things you create. I don't think you quite realize that sometimes."

"I know," Howard admitted. "I'll try to do better. Hey, I've almost got that flesh healing serum working. Sousa will be glad to hear that."

"I'm sure he will be," Peggy responded. "Now, I must get back to work and figure this out. One more question, Howard. Who in the government did you sell this Disintegrator Ray to?"

"The thing is, Peg..."

"Who, Howard?"

"The CIA."

**Author's Note:**

> So I always wondered why Tony didn't go to Peggy's funeral during Civil War. This fic is my attempt to answer that question.


End file.
